Interactive White Board Resources...

1. www.learningtoday.com
2. www.pbskids.org/sesame/games/
3. www.storylineonline.net
4. www.inklesstales.com/games
5. www.superteachers.com/jeopardy  A great Jeopardy Game creator!
6. http://www.murray.k12.ga.us/teacher/kara%20leonard/Smartboard%20Resouces.htm#ACTIV
7. http://www.murray.k12.ga.us/teacher/judyreece/ACTIVstudio%20Flipcharts%20Language%20Arts.htm
8.http://www.crickweb.co.uk/Promethean.html
9. http://www.visuwords.com/
10. http://www.sevier.org/Promethean/index.   A great collection from Sevier County Schools in Tennessee

"Cognitive Theft" -- Are you guilty?

“Cognitive theft” is a term that was coined by Gary Stager as saying that “anytime you go to ‘help’ a learner, pause and think about whether you are taking away an opportunity for them to learn it themselves.”  It even helps explain why students feel so cheated when you do give them the answer to a problem they are working hard on, and why they feel so strongly that “they need to do it by themselves.” We feel a sense of injustice when someone steals our ability to reason through a problem on our own.


Gary has a great video about his and story behind the video. I encourage every new teacher (and experienced one, too) to take a minute and listen to his talk and read his story about how he arrived at the term "Cognitive Theft" -- I won't be doing this. I'm one of those that like to figure things out on my own, too. So as a good teacher I must model what I'm teaching. Shouldn't we all? 
                          Click HERE to read and see Gary's video.
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Ideas to Inspire -- Great collection of ideas, technologies and collaborative starters.

'Ideas to Inspire' is a collection of collaborative presentations, which offer a large number of ideas for engaging lesson activities. They are the result of the collaboration of teachers from all around the world.  Check it out here. 


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Memory Matters!

       "If we want our students to remember things and be able to talk about them then we need to help students form declarative, relational memories. Perhaps one way to begin to do this is to model out loud the processes taking place in own brains as we explain a concept. In other words, put our own thinking out there on the table to be examined. That way students might have a better chance of knowing what to focus on, and so begin to be able to develop relational memories, instead of simply memories of isolated episodes, or memories of carrying out activities. A critical capacity of the hippocampus, and one vital to the formation of declarative, relational memories, is linking. The hippocampus works to establish relationships – links – between things, particularly between episodes. So, explicitly focusing on links and connections might be a better way to establish long-term relational memories than simply giving clear explanations."

Check out "What math teachers should know about memory"

by GARY ERNEST DAVIS

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Science for KIDS!!!

That's right... a Fun Experiments, Cool Facts, and great information about science from around the world!!

Science Kids is the home of science & technology on the Internet for children around the world.

Learn more about the amazing world of science by enjoying our fun science experiments, cool facts, online games, free activities, ideas, lesson plans, photos, quizzes, videos & science fair projects.

Check it out HERE!

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Study Jams from Scholastic helps with Math & Science Lessons!

Check out the newest concepts for supplemental math and science for Middle Schoolers @ Scholastic's Study Jam website. Just click on the MATH or SCIENCE link at the top and then click away on getting to know the crew - they are 14 y/o students wanting to learn!


http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/math/algebra/acreating-equations.htm


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From failure can come learning...

There is a challenge called the Marshmallow Challenge (see the link of the video talk from TED.com here.)


As educators we are always looking for concrete examples and active experiences to better advance understanding.   Last Saturday I spent four hours with groups of 15-20 seventh graders, about an hour at a time, undertaking an activity which has (at least)  two powerful take-away lessons, one of them being the critical importance of error in achieving success.

The activity is called the Marshmallow Challenge, and it is incredibly easy and amazingly powerful.  It has its own website with thorough directions, including a fascinating Ted-talk by Tom Wujec who articulates astutely some of its lessons.

Here’s the gig: set up groups of almost any size, and any age, Kindergarten to Centenarian.  

                                            Give them a table top, 20 sticks of spaghetti, 

                                            a yard of string, a yard of tape, and a marshmallow.  

Set a time to 18 minutes, and tell the crowd at the end of time, you will measure and (very modestly) award the team which has the marshmallow supported highest above the table– and remember, at the end of time, no hands!

That’s all.  Step back, watch, and learn.  Be sure to check out the pictures in the Photo gallery and then try one the next time you have a cooperative learning need or just a professional development event that is a bit boring. You and what you learn about each other maybe surprising!

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